Google might be leaning toward a resolution in China that lets it stay in the country even if its shuts down its censored search engine.

That's according to The Wall Street Journal, which appears to float a trial balloon on behalf of the company by reporting Friday that "there will be a way for Google to not pull out 100 (percent)" if the Chinese government forces it to close an uncensored search engine. That could involve allowing sales, software development, and research operations to stay in the country even if Google.cn goes dark.

It appears very unlikely that China will change its Internet censorship laws for Google. Government officials have consistently reminded Google and other Internet companies that they are subject to the laws of the country just like any other business, repeating those statements Friday.

About the author

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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